SAAMPad is a software design rationale capture and retrieval tool, used to:

• Record design discussions for automatic archival and retrieval
• Pinpoint important decisions and events in the discussion
• Keep track of system history
• Generate discussion summary reports

SAAMPad supports the Software Architectural Analysis Method (SAAM). In SAAM, scenario evaluations are used to extract non-functional system properties. SAAMPad provides its users with a screen on which they can annotate and draw diagrams. Actions performed on the diagrams are recorded and used as additional information about the discussion. A SAAM evaluation generally consists of several scenarios, which can lead to changes in the architectural description. During the evaluations audio and whiteboard notations are recorded to provide information during the evaluation and at later points in time.

Supported SAAMPad features include:

• User gestures are used to create and edit diagrams
• Automatic recording and playback of session audio
• System overview showing changes made to different versions of a system
• Scenario evaluations displaying different versions of a system.
• Session report summarizing scenario information
• Session review showing location of key-events and allows playback of the session

SAAMPad supports the Mission Oriented Architectural Legacy Evolution (MORALE) reengineering process. The goal of the MORALE project is to facilitate the evolution of legacy software systems. Facilitation takes the form of improved quality by requirements validation, reduced risk via architectural evaluation and assessment, and increased productivity from maintenance and access to design rationale and from high level reuse of architectural components.

These two screenshots show how SAAMPad works in a session. The left screen shows a diagram that is being edited. When the cursor is moved over components, they are highlighted, and this is the signal that these components are the subject of the current discussion. When a more detailed view of one component is required, the user can click on its gray hotspots. This results in the creation of a new screen with the specific component enlarged.

The top screen shows the access phase of the program. On the left side is a global timeline, which is divided into two pieces. The left side of the timeline shows the scenarios that have been performed on the system and allows navigating between them. The right side has a number of separate timelines that show actions performed on specific components during the session. By clicking on a component, its timeline is added to the global timeline. Also, clicking on a stroke or on the timeline brings up the audio from the session at that moment. This combination of representing information and being able to quickly navigate allows the user to quickly find certain points of his or her interest in the recorded sessions.